Sudan 2nd VP holds talks with Turkish officials amid local criticisms
February 3, 2009 (ANKARA) — The Sudanese 2nd Vice president Ali Osman Taha met today with the Turkish Prime minister Recep Erdogan where they discussed the raging crisis in the Western region of Darfur.
The Sudanese Vice president earlier met with Turkish Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan at the parliament.
Afterwards Taha told reporters that his meeting with Koksal tackled “bilateral issues and current issues of common interest to both countries…Darfur definitely on the agenda”.
The Sudanese official was due to hold a press conference later in the evening.
Turkey has won a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council this year at a time when Sudan is lobbying for a resolution suspending move by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to indict president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
During a visit by Al-Bashir to Turkey last year Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Ankara “should reject efforts by Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir to secure a suspension of the International Criminal Court’s investigation against him”.
Taha’s visit today also drew criticisms from Turkish human right groups and other figures.
“The entire world condemned the Israeli offensive in Gaza but other crimes against humanity are being committed in Darfur. The visit to Turkey of those people charged with genocide is an indication of the government’s double-standard policy,” Ozturk Turkdogan, the president of the Turkish Human Rights Association told the Hurriyet Daily News website.
Turkdogan said human rights organizations had warned both the government and the president before al-Bashir’s trips to Turkey that his presence would be perceived as indirect support for the policies of the Sudanese regime in Darfur. “But unfortunately, the government has ignored civil society’s warnings over the last two years” he said.
A former Turkish diplomat also echoed Turkdogan’s criticisms.
“It is obvious that there is a contradiction in Erdogan’s approach toward Gaza and Darfur,” retired diplomat Ilter Turkmen told the Daily News website. “Turkey is a country carefully watched by Western and Middle Eastern states. Wasn’t it Erdogan who said once that no genocide had been committed in Darfur?” he asked
During the recent years, Turkey has increasingly developed its commercial and military cooperation with Sudan.
In 2007 bilateral trade volume reached 225 million USD. Moreover, Turkish direct investments in Sudan have amounted to nearly 50 million USD (disregarding the Turkish firms operating in contracting and consulting), according to the Turkish foreign ministry website.
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Chameleon Chameleon
Sudan 2nd VP holds talks with Turkish officials amid local criticisms
Hey Mr. 2nd VP Taha,
You can not do math problem without set up an equation to make the work easier for you. I believe the only solution that will help or save Al Beshir from indictment is to accept to cooperate with Icc status. In other words, Omar Al Beshiir is a criminal and criminal deserve to be punsihed for his wrong-doing no matter how much he defend himself from that, he commit genocide.